Is the text message language of 'globespeak' bringing about a permanent change in the way human beings interact, asks Brian Boyd
Earlier this year, a 13-year-old Scottish girl wrote an essay for her English teacher about what she had done on her summer holidays. The essay read: "My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :-0 kids FTF. ILNY, it's a gr8 plc". The girl's teacher was not impressed, saying the page was riddled with what for her were hieroglyphics. The girl merely replied that writing in mobile phone text message shorthand was much easier than writing in standard English.
"Translated", the essay read: "My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's a great place."
Two months ago, a woman sent a "raunchy" text message to a friend, but she got one digit of the phone number wrong. The message was received by a stranger, who, intrigued, got in touch with the woman. The pair are to marry soon. Last month, a prominent South African politician sent an amorous text message meant for his mistress to his wife. A simple slip of the finger when he was going through the address book contained in his mobile was to lead to divorce proceedings.
The ubiquity of the mobile and the popularity of texting messages rather than talking on the phone has transformed the social landscape.
Communication that once took place on a face-to-face basis is now being transmitted through a series of electronically sent characters. The very nature of texting means unpleasant or awkward conversations can be avoided: a relationship can be ended by text, a job can be lost, a terse, badly spelt text message can substitute for a bunch of flowers and a card. Concern is rising about the absence of interpersonal skills in the txt (text) generation.
The e-mail and the text message are now becoming dominant in both professional and personal contact, and there is a sense that they are having an impact on human social systems never equalled by telephones or fax machines.
Because composing messages is such a fiddly business, with texters having to tap continually on one key to find the letter they want, a new shorthand, known as "globespeak", has developed. The pervasive use of this shorthand has seen traditional greetings such as "hello" and "goodbye" replaced by something quicker and easier to type.
Jonathan Green, a British lexicographer and the author of a dictionary of slang, says of the new language: "We have a situation where more people use electronic communication than the old-fashioned letter. The way these technologies work often results in us talking faster and with more slang. It wouldn't surprise me if, in 50 years, there was no longer a need for 'hello' or 'goodbye' in general or certainly in electronic communication."
Numerous surveys have found that the most common alternative to "hello" in a text message is "hey", followed closely by "yo!". "Goodbye" is now more commonly expressed as "later" or "ciao". Psycholinguists point out this use of the language is just a reflection of the method used to send it - as always, people are adapting to a new linguistic environment. Despite the tut-tutting from traditionalists, texting can facilitate linguistic creativity. An online Christian magazine recently ran a competition in which people had to rewrite The Lord's Prayer in text message form (see panel). It is believed at least one publishing company is considering issuing classic titles in text message shorthand to appeal to the younger market.
However, constant use of text messages is now being considered an addiction. This week, The Priory Clinic in the UK, well known as a place for rehabilitating alcohol and drug addicted celebrities, reported a surge in text message addiction. The Priory's Dr Mark Collins said sufferers from this new "behavioural" addiction were now seeking treatment. People who were texting for up to seven hours a day reported feelings of irritability and aggression when separated from their mobiles.
Excessive texting is now being classified as a "contact addiction" alongside other technology-related compulsions such as surfing the web and playing computer games. The behaviour, as with all addictions, only becomes a problem when it begins to take precedence over everything else in sufferers' lives and interferes with their work and relationships.
Again, as with all addictions, there is usually an underlying emotional problem which manifests itself in the compulsive and excessive nature of the behaviour.
The Priory - and one can only presume other clinics will follow suit - has developed a new treatment programme to accommodate these new types of addictive behaviour. Because the problem is different from alcohol or drug abuse, a spokesman for The Priory says treatment, in the case of text message addiction, will probably be on an outpatient basis rather than of a residential nature.
Psychologists believe text message addiction is a way of escaping problems with face-to-face relationships and of avoiding reality. Early warning signs are a compulsive need to check for new messages and a constant desire to send new messages.
According to newspaper reports, there are currently 55 people being treated at The Priory for text message addiction, the majority of whom are under the age of 16. It is believed that text addiction is destined to become the most common form of addiction among the young. Again, it is important to emphasise that heavy use of text services on mobiles is not a problem in itself; it is only worrying when texting is being carried out to such an extent it interferes with normal life.
The problem can only become more widespread: the rapid advance of new technologies means mobile phones will soon be fulfilling most of our communication needs in the near future. The rapidly falling cost of putting extras into mobiles means the newest makes on the market now include digital cameras and e-mail services. Within two years, a standard mobile phone will be a phone, a camera, a games machine, a music player and a radio. Talking might well become the last thing you use your mobile for.
But such is the rapidly changing nature of the new technologies that text messaging is under serious threat from a new service. New "push-to-talk" services can turn a mobile phone into a walkie-talkie with unlimited range. This service allows users to choose a name from a list on their phone, press a key and start talking. The message, which can only be 30 seconds long, comes out through the mobile's loudspeaker.
Push-to-talk is phenomenally popular in the US - more than 62 billion push-to-talk messages were "voiced" in the country last year alone. The service, renamed as "FastChat", is due to be introduced into the UK and Ireland sometime next year.
Push-to-talk/FastChat is not designed to replace telephone conversations (because of the 30-second limit) but to kill off text messaging. The quality of the voice message is slightly better than that of a standard mobile phone call and no matter who you ring or where they are in the world, you will only be charged the same as you would be for sending a text message.
Instead of typing out "C U in the pub", users will simply have to press a button on the phone and articulate the message in the old-fashioned way.
At the moment it's called "verbal texting". It's easier and more convenient than written texting - and undoubtedly just as easy to become addicted to.dad_at_hvn, ur spshl.
we want wot u want &urth2b like hvn.
giv us food & 4giv r sins lyk we 4giv uvaz. don't test us! save us! bcos we kno ur boss, ur tuf & ur cool 4 eva! ok?